Shuffle dock goes half-circle

SwitchEasy this week launched PivotDock, a USB dock for the iPod Shuffle that rotates 180 degrees to provide more convenient docking angles. "The smallest docking station for the iPod Shuffle," PivotDock helps tuck the Shuffle within a smaller space and also offers a bright LED status light for "additional bling," a company statement said.

Credit: SwitchEasy

The regular price for PivotDock, which doesn't start shipping until Sept. 9, is $15.99. But to celebrate the product launch, the relatively new company is offering a limited $9.99 offer.

Response so far to the product has been mixed, with some thanking the Shuffle gods and others calling it an unnecessary accessory for what was meant to be a minimalist device.

Gizmodo poked fun at the company's claim that PivotDock will free "owners from the maze of connecting wires and large, bulky plastic docks."

"Basically, a little plastic circle going into your USB drive to dock your Shuffle so you don't have to be caught up in the wiry mess. Oh wait, isn't that what the iPod Shuffle itself is?" the review read.

But an iLounge reader bought a PivotDock after his or her 13-month-old tried to grab a Shuffle from the front of a G5. "Hopefully this will make it a little less easy to pull on," the reader wrote. Engadget saw some value in the new product, and gave the company a facetious plug.
"You've gotta show some props to anyone goofy enough to claim that a green power indicator LED is 'bling,'" a reviewer wrote.